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10/08/2022 10:43 AMHalle Krause is the Swiss Army knife of the Guilford girls’ volleyball program—a trusty, versatile, and effective implement in Head Coach Marisa Ceneri’s toolbox. Halle has been a key player for Guilford’s varsity team for the past three seasons and is now leading the Grizzlies as a captain in her senior campaign.
Coach Ceneri says that she feels comfortable having Halle anywhere on the court. Whether Halle playing up at the net, setting up her teammates from the back row, or contributing on defense as a libero, Ceneri knows that the senior captain is always going to make an impact.
“She’s just a very good and valuable all-around player. She can kill at the net, she’s a very good setter, she can dig, and she has a good serve,” says Ceneri. “She covers a lot of ground and touches the ball a lot for us.”
Halle is serving as a tri-captain for the Guilford volleyball team alongside fellow seniors Riley Mullett and Corrine Puchalski this year. Along with Halle’s volleyball skills, Coach Ceneri calls her a “true leader” who does a great job of keeping her teammates focused and engaged.
“She’s not afraid to go out there and take charge and get her teammates organized,” Ceneri says. “Halle has a very advanced understanding of the game. It’s like having an extra coach out there on the floor.”
It’s not too difficult to figure out where Halle gained her in-depth understanding of the game. Halle started playing volleyball at a young age and has been competing on a year-round basis throughout her high school career. In addition to playing for Guilford, Halle is a member of the CT Juniors travel team that’s headquartered at the Connecticut Sports Center in Woodbridge—a facility that’s owned by her father Tyson Krause.
Volleyball is pretty much a year-round activity for Halle, who plays for her travel team from the time the high school season ends in November through the subsequent May. True to its name, the travel team makes frequent out-of-state excursions to Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to take on quality opponents.
Volleyball is a family pastime in the Krause household. Halle’s father not only played the sport while growing up and at Springfield College, but is also a longtime coach at the collegiate level, having spent time at San Diego State, Boston College, and Albertus Magnus.
“Volleyball has been a big part of my life for most of my life. It’s something I’ve loved since I was a little kid,” says Halle. “When you’re around the game as much as I’ve been, you get a good feel for how things work and how it should be played.”
Halle also played basketball and lacrosse as a youngster. However, volleyball was always her greatest passion.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve been playing it all my life, maybe it’s because of my dad and my family, but volleyball has always been my favorite. I think it’s so fascinating—the timing, the setting up, how everyone has to work together in order to accomplish anything,” says Halle. “I love the fact that it’s a total team game. You just can’t win if you don’t play together as a disciplined team with everybody doing their job. Volleyball just captivated me from the very beginning.”
The Guilford girls’ volleyball team is off to a solid start with a record of 6-2 this season, and Halle is playing a pivotal role in that success. Through Guilford’s first six matches of the year, Halle was leading the team in kills with 46, digs with 40, and was also near the team lead in assists with 62. Halle and the Grizzlies picked up a couple of recent victories by defeating West Haven and Hand in last week’s action.
“I think we’ve definitely stepped things up this year. We have a lot of experienced players returning, and we’ve learned to play together really well,” Halle says. “So far, we’ve been having a lot of fun this year.”
As she’s making significant contributions on the court, Halle is also enjoying the experience of leading the Grizzlies as a senior captain this season. Halle makes sure that she’s always supporting and encouraging her teammates as she holds that role.
“I like to think I’m a good teammate. I always try to hype my teammates up if they start getting a little bit down,” says Halle. “I try to be their biggest cheerleader.”
Coach Ceneri feels that Halle is just as strong of a leader as she is a volleyball player.
“She’s a great leader, especially on the court. Her leadership skills are just above and beyond,” Ceneri says. “She’s very good at getting her teammates focused and ready to play, and she’s very encouraging and helpful to everyone on the team.”
Halle has yet to finalize her college plans, but will most likely forge the opportunity to play volleyball at a smaller college, because her preference is to attend a larger university. However, regardless of whether she plays varsity volleyball in college, Halle’s passion for the sport is so strong that she plans to keep competing on the court one way or the other.
“I think I’d like the environment of a larger school with lots of different people on the campus, even if it meant playing volleyball at the club level,” says Halle. “But no matter where I go to school next year, big school or small, you can be sure I’ll be playing volleyball somewhere at some level. I can’t see me ever not playing this game at all.”